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Summary Cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important fibre crop in the world. Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is the major limiting factor and a threat to textile industry in India and Pakistan. All the local cotton cultivars exhibit moderate to no resistance against CLCuD. In this study, we evaluated an exotic cotton accession Mac7 as a resistance source to CLCuD by challenging it with viruliferous whiteflies and performing qPCR to evaluate the presence/absence and relative titre of CLCuD‐associated geminiviruses/betasatellites. The results indicated that replication of pathogenicity determinant betasatellite is significantly attenuated in Mac7 and probably responsible for resistance phenotype. Afterwards, to decipher the genetic basis of CLCuD resistance in Mac7, we performed RNA sequencing on CLCuD‐infested Mac7 and validated RNA‐Seq data with qPCR on 24 independent genes. We performed co‐expression network and pathway analysis for regulation of geminivirus/betasatellite‐interacting genes. We identified nine novel modules with 52 hubs of highly connected genes in network topology within the co‐expression network. Analysis of these hubs indicated the differential regulation of auxin stimulus and cellular localization pathways in response to CLCuD. We also analysed the differential regulation of geminivirus/betasatellite‐interacting genes in Mac7. We further performed the functional validation of selected candidate genes via virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS). Finally, we evaluated the genomic context of resistance responsive genes and found that these genes are not specific to A or D sub‐genomes of G. hirsutum. These results have important implications in understanding CLCuD resistance mechanism and developing a durable resistance in cultivated cotton.

There are two basic ways of performing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG): on pump CABG and off pump CABG. Off pump CABG is relatively a newer procedure to on-pump CABG and does not require the use of the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. On pump CABG is the more traditional method of performing bypass surgery. However its resultant inflammatory effects cause renal dysfunction, gastrointestinal distress and cardiac abnormalities which have forced the surgeons to look for alternatives to the procedure. An extensive literature search revealed that on pump CABG causes better revascularization as compared to off pump CABG while off pump CABG has a much lower post operative morbidity and mortality especially in high risk patients. We suggest that the technique used should depend on the ease of the surgeon doing the operation as both the methods seem almost equally efficient according to the review.

Aim:The objective of our study was to assess betel nut usage as one of the major risk factors associated with coronary artery disease.Methods:This case control study consisted of 300 controls and 300 cases. A structured questionnaire was administered to the participants to assess consumption of betel nut and confounding variables. A respondent was considered a regular consumer of betel nut if he/she consumed one or more pieces of betel nut every day for a period of greater than 6 months.Results:About 8 in 10 betel nut chewers developed coronary artery disease. After adjusting for diabetes and hypertension, the odds ratio analysis depicted 7.72 times greater likelihood for coronary artery disease in patients who chewed betel nut for more than 10 years.Conclusion:Our study concludes that betel nut chewing is a significant risk factor leading to the development of coronary artery disease.

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The allotetraploid genome of cotton, after separating from its diploid parents, experienced polyploidisation, natural and artificial selection, hybrid necrosis, duplication and recombination which became the reason to shed off and evolve new genes for its survival. These driving forces influenced the development of genomic architecture that make it susceptible to diseases and pathogens as compared to donor parents.

Micronutrients (zinc and iron) play a vital role in the functioning of all living organisms. These nutrients are indispensable for plant nourishment and development -though required in small amount. The current research work was performed at the Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture Peshawar in winter, 2015-16. Combinations of soil applied Zn levels (5, 10, 15 and 20 kg ha -1 ) and Fe levels (5, 10, 15 and 20 kg ha -1 ) with a control were allotted randomly to the experimental units using randomized complete block design. The results elucidated that days to anthesis, plant height, productive tillers, yield and yield components of wheat were significantly inclined with Zn and Fe levels. The plots enriched with 15 kg Zn ha -1 and 10 kg Fe ha -1 exhibited higher grain yields (3775 and 3802 kg ha -1 , respectively). Results conceded that the interaction for Zn and Fe was significant for days to anthesis. It was concluded that the plots fertilized with 15 kg Zn ha -1 and 10 kg Fe ha -1 resulted in improved yield and yield components. Hence, fertilization of plots with 15 kg Zn ha -1 and 10 kg Fe ha -1 is recommended for improved wheat yield in the agro-climatic condition of Peshawar.

ABSTRACT. Nine cotton genotypes, comprised of four non Bt males (CIM-1100, CIM-506, FH-942 and FH-900), five Bt female genotypes and their 20 crosses were screened in order to evaluate their response to Cotton leaf curl virus symptoms through epidemiology in the field and greenhouse. The 20 crosses among their nine parents were sown in two replications under randomized complete block design, during 2013 and 2014. The mean squares were significant for all traits indicating that both additive and non-additive genes control the characters, but non-additive genes were more important because, variance of dominant genes were higher than additive genes. In our test, FH-900 showed the best performance against CLCuV, number of lobes per boll and seed yield. The CIM-1100 genotype performed well in boll weight, fiber strength and fiber fineness, whereas CIM-506 was good for plant height, number of sympodial branches and ginning. Maximum boll number, seed index and fiber length were shown by FH-942. Among lines, MNH886, FH-113, IR-3701 and FH-114 exhibited the best general combination for many traits. Hence, parents were preferred for hybridization program to